The rally, my first and last (and I’m not pulling a Cher, here, either–this really is my farewell tour, folks), was an experience. It was actually much like I had feared it would be, but I have to say finally meeting Dani B. in the flesh was not at all dreadful. He’s a delightful lad, in his woolly way, so far as I can tell. There were other delightful folks I’m glad to have met (including Jen, who took the pictures below), and for me that was always the point. My Doctor says I should get out and mix more. “People,” he’s always saying, “not gin and Prozac.”

Now I plan to spend some time in seclusion, of course. Like Candide, at the end of Rally Road, I find I have come full circle. My inner Pangloss intones: “There is a concatenation of all events in the best of possible worlds; for, in short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle for the love of Miss Cunegund; had you not been put into the Inquisition; had you not traveled over America on foot; had you not run the Baron through the body; and had you not lost all your sheep, which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts.” “Excellently observed,” my Inner Candide answers; “but let us cultivate our garden.”

All I can say is I’m glad I didn’t spend more than about fifteen bucks on the thing. I had three poster-size copies made—reading, simply “Keep MBTA Fares fair” and bought some new underwear for the occasion (I needed some new boxers anyway), but that’s about it. Lee Matsueda of the T Riders Union provided amplification, and TRU brought signs of their own.

Shoogs met me around three on the Square, but we didn’t really have much to do until four. The first people to show up, around fifteen minutes before the rally was to begin, were these punk-socialists. Of course they weren’t serious socialists—they just chose the most hopeless political cause they could find and joined it. They’re more like impotent designer anarchists in the final analysis. Amateur provocateurs out to draw attention to no greater a cause than the rebels without one.

I can’t deny it pissed me off to see these protest parasites show up and actually outnumber the poor, beleaguered protesters themselves. Not that they weren’t protesting. Christ, their entire existence is a protest. But there are ways things are done—and I’m just talking about people things here. Common courtesy. You want to be pariahs, do it on your own time. Get your own damn permit, don’t glom onto mine.

I mean, seriously, people. Have some manners. Do you realize how many of our social ills could be solved–just like that–with simple manners? These guys were my age, and acting like the trenchcoat mafia. When I told them to stop scaring off potential protesters one of them (I’m not sure if it was Mo or Curly — Larry was hanging back at this point)–but one of them even sneered and said: “we can do whatever we want, it’s a public square!” I was like, right, whatever. How many times have I heard that one (in the form of “it’s a free country!” and “you’re not the boss of me!”) from my nine and ten year old nieces?

It was like a bad after-school special, where the square student council president confronts the rebel outcasts trying to crash the big homecoming dance. I felt humorless and absurd doing it, and realized immediately that they’d be perfectly happy to argue with me unto the apocalypse. I told them, look, just try to stay out from in front of the cameras, will you? And by the way, this is no way to get laid.

The protest rally parasite problem is one I have to admit I had not anticipated in the least. You want to come to a rally someone’s organized because you dig what they’re trying to do, why not contact them first? I mean, if you’re socialists that shouldn’t be that big a deal. Socialize a little. There were several groups represented, but everyone had the courtesy to call first and discuss their ideas and goals. These guys basically showed up in an ugly, pestilent lump, didn’t say anything to us, and just started accosting people right and left in front of us. They were chasing people down like kids chasing pigeons in the park. People were scrambling to get away from them.

But once the rally (such as it was) started, they drifted to the margins and disappeared, as is their wont.

I wish I could say the same of the Deval Patrick groupies. They were as disgusting in their way as the impotent designer socialists. A bunch of Barbie and Ken dolls with super-sized campaign signs who just showed up in a clump and didn’t mix with the rabble, either. In their favor, there was an adult representative from his campaign who found me and introduced herself, and asked if I minded their being there and if I wouldn’t mind also mentioning that Deval would have been there himself if he had not had a prior engagement.

She went on her merry way and left the kids to find the spot where they were most likely to get their super-size signs on TV. You can see them schlubbed-up behind Lee Matsueda in the last picture below. They were utterly disengaged, uncommunicative, and looked dreadfully bored throughout the proceedings.

You know, I would not have been so touchy about all these parasites if the beast itself they were feeding off of wasn’t so pitiful. I mean they easily outnumbered real, live protesters. It was like a twelve-mile long tapeworm feeding off a teacup chihuahua. And in the end none of the networks (NECN, CBS4, and WHDH-7 were all there), to my knowledge, used any footage from the rally.

In fact, there was hardly anything about the hearing, much less the rally, in the papers. Nothing in Metro (and this was a Metro-worthy rally if ever there was one), a tiny blurb about Deval Patrick’s cursory appearance at the hearing in the Glob, and a brief mention in the Herald, who put the number in attendance at the rally at one hundred.

That much-disputed number. In a few years’ time I guarantee you it will be in the thousands. It’s the Woodstock effect. People will be like, it was a conspiracy! A media black-out! And when you ask someone—just some random someone at some dinner party or at a pick-up bar–if they were there, they’ll be all like, hell, yeah. And you’ll be all like, well, I didn’t see you there. And they’ll be like, Well there were about fifty-thousand of us. They had all the streets all blocked off.

And then you’ll reminisce together about how those crazy socialists blew up an MBTA bus while Deval Patrick introduced Nelson Mandela to the ecstatic applaud of the revolutionary masses. And then how it was all wiped from the record because Dan Grabauskas ordered the Herald to report that only a hundred people were there. And no further mention was ever made, spirits were crushed, the MBTA Liberation Army was driven underground, and finally fled to the hills of New Hampshire to fight their guerrilla war, now in its twenty-fifth year.

And you’ll be like, it sucks we’re paying twelve-hundred- seventy-three bucks a month for a T pass, but I guess if that’s what the MBTA says it needs to get through fiscal 2031, what can you do?

Just between you and me, I’d put the real number at something more like 33, 34, maybe 40, if you count passersby who paused momentarily to take in the sad spectacle and rubberneckers in their passing cars on Dartmouth. And about 25 of the aforementioned were IDAs, Devalheads, or the media. Then there were three of my friends, and Dani B., like I said there would be, and I think three other kind souls I was very grateful took the time to come out and was very pleased to have met.

I’ll have more to say about the hearing when I get a chance to go over the audio recording I made of it. The quality of the recording is pretty bad, but I can just about make out most of it. I should have some juicy tidbits for you tomorrow.

Until then, here are some pics from the big-ass rally of ‘06. That’s me, at top, imploring an uncaring universe not to ignore the two-page list of demands I’ve just outlined, and introducing Senator Jarrett Barrios, who’s in the next shot. Then there’s one of the “crowd,” such as it was (two of my three friends, a cameraman, a couple of TRU guys, and some poor sucker from NECN who’s thinking, “what the fuck?”). And finally, that’s Lee Matsueda (rocking that mic) and a couple of those Devalhead slugsacks. (They couldn’t even stand up–the one on the left has his fat ass planted right on Kahlil Gibran’s mug. Talk about manners.)

In case you were wondering, everything’s still on target for this afternoon.

The rally will be held at 4PM today in Copley Square, Dartmouth-side (see MAP). We will have State Senator Jarrett Barrios and representatives from the T Riders Union speaking. Deval Patrick will be at the hearings to voice his opposition to fare hikes, as well.

So you are encouraged to come to the rally, make a little noise, and then go on to the MBTA hearing at the Boston Public Library immediately afterward, and present your own personal “impact statement” for the record to the T. You can make a real difference in the fare restructuring.

Tune in here, and to tjustice.info, too, for more you can do after the rally to keep the momentum up, and ensure that T fares remain fair for all riders.

Hope to see you this afternoon at 4PM in Copley Square, and at the hearing afterwards!

Where’s the story? That’s what you have to ask yourself, as a reporter.

I’ll admit I’m a little disappointed in Mac Daniels’ decision to highlight the “cancellation” of the T-boycott, an idea that never really got off the ground in the first place, instead of highlighting the rally itself which has definitely not been cancelled.

I think what I said to Mac about the boycott was, if people wanted to boycott, they certainly could. He told me he, himself, was definitely interested in the idea of boycotts–not because he wanted to participate in this one, or thought it would be effective–but because boycotts are so hard to organize.

Exactly. And who’s got time for the tears? Life should be a banquet, not a beggar’s ball.

But I don’t think that’s the story, here. And I tried to stress that moving beyond the boycott (I don’t think I ever used the word “cancelled,” myself) wasn’t some big bureaucratic decision in the Star Chamber—it was really just about the best way to get people mobilized to do something productive with this thing, hook people up, show the world we’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore, and blah blah blah, yeah, whatever. That kind of thing.

At least the headline in the Glob was somewhat informative: “T farehike protesters hold rally.” And just one little sentence in that first paragraph, detailing exactly when and where the rally would be held, and maybe even why, would have been helpful. But we’d all rather kick each other in the balls whenever the opportunity arises, so, yeah, whatever.

The Metro also ran the story, with a headline screaming “Boycott against proposed T fare hike cancelled.” Yes, the first paragraph mentions “a short rally before the first in a series of public hearings” (it’s the same exact story the Glob’s running, but with a more sensationalistically distorted headline, of course), but then the rest of the story is, again, about how it won’t be a boycott. Presumably, if you are reading the Metro in the first place, you are on a train or a bus and aren’t boycotting the T anyway.

Still there’s no doubt that a headline like that will confuse some poor Metro readers into thinking that the rally itself has been cancelled. They don’t provide any details about the rally, either: exactly where or when it’s happening, just that it’s not going to be a boycott. Which is very informative.

Of course, I woke up this morning with a dread thought: what if it’s just me and three of my friends and Dani B. who show up? It could be uncomfortable. We obviously should have stuck with the boycott idea.

Mac Daniel called me today, and will have a little blurb in the Globe about the rally tomorrow. We will definitely have some media coverage, so be sure to feather your hair and wear your best tubetops, visors, and red-white-and-blue sweatbands!

As I may have mentioned, one of the first people I contacted about the rally was Mike Dukakis. He finally got back to me this morning, sending regrets that he would not be able to attend, and suggesting I contact Deval Patrick, who will be at the hearing.

But I was way ahead of him. About a week-and-a-half-or-so ago I sent all the gubernatorial candidates an email asking for comment on the proposed fare hikes. None felt the urge to respond except Deval Patrick, and he is by far the cutest of them all, so we know who’s getting whose vote come election day, don’t we? Anyway, a spokeswoman from his campaign informed me that he was already planning to be at the hearing to make comments. She sent his regrets that he would not be able to attend the rally beforehand because of a prior television engagement. Fair enough. The point is that his campaign obviously views the fare hikes as a serious enough issue, that they’ve got him putting in an appearance at the hearing. Bravo, I say.

I will be in Copley Square, Dartmouth side (MAP) from 3PM. The rally will start promptly at 4PM and will be over by 4:30. Please plan to attend the hearing, not to rabble rouse, but to give your testimony on the fare hikes. A big showing outside will be good, a big showing inside at the hearings will be even better.

Take a moment before the hearing to prepare a short statement. Try to keep it sharp and focused and don’t ramble or monopolize the mic. Trust me, there will be enough crazy people on hand who go to all these freaking meetings who will. Just don’t be one of them.

But don’t let that keep you from actually stepping up to the mic and taking your turn. It’s important that the T hear from as many people willing to go on the record against the current fare hikes as possible.

I want to take a minute to thank Sarah Shugars for dragging me into this with her idea of a public action of some sort. And Lee Matsueda of the T Riders Union (TRU), whose materials and encouragement have been invaluable. I hope that Lee will speak at the rally tomorrow as well. And to those of you who read this blog and intend to show up, and to those who don’t and do, too, my thanks in advance to you all as well. Please be nice to me. I am not as mean in person.

And big fat raspberries to everyone else.

Puritan City recently posted a guide of sorts, entitled “how to insult your fans“–about bloggers raging on those who write in to comment on their blogs. This is, as many of you know, a topic dear to my own heart.

There’s some highflown rhetoric about how democratic the blogosphere is, and all that, but the truth is that the “delete” button is a blogger’s best friend, and not only to rid the record of those who disagree with you, but for just generally chuckleheaded comments that have the cumulative effect of wasting everybody’s time to read them. Low-quality comments devalue your blog in the end. It’s a “company you keep” type thing. He who lies down with dogs wakes up with fleas, know what I mean?

I am all for vetting comments. I have not done so on T-Rage! as of yet, but I’m certainly not for suffering fools. The main thing that starts my itchy delete finger is name-calling. I deleted several comments from my mennonno.blogspot.com blog (which contains only my Metro opeds) because I had someone cyberstalking me, and the comments were invariably more about his obsessive-compulsive disorder than about anything I had written. But there are also comments that are garbled beyond intelligibility. There are comments that are flippant, and do nothing to advance the great cause of democracy. I usually leave them in, myself, but each one I get sort of erodes my faith in humanity a little more. Familiarity does indeed breed contempt.

But all this talk of democracy cracks me up. Democracy is really not about just saying what you think and that being of inherent value to the debate or the community. If you spout hateful epithets, what value to the debate is that? If you toss out flawed assertions or assumptions as fact, what value does it have to producing a fruitful dialogue? If every time we dialogue on an issue we have to waste an hour debating again whether the earth is really round, what’s the point?

It’s absolutely true that civility is a vital part of democratic debate, and because of the anonymity of the web people are emboldened to behave badly. I don’t think bloggers should berate those who comment, or delete comments merely because they present views that differ from their own, but I don’t object in the least to bloggers moderating their comments, and removing those that are of no value or include offensive epithets. That’s not a devaluation of democratic ethics, it’s just a recognition that even in democracy–and even in the blogosphere–there is such a thing as decorum.

What’s most important on Tuesday, JUNE 6TH, is that you come prepared to go to the hearing at the Boston Public Library, a formal proceeding, where individuals can give their “personal impact statement” for the record. If you do come to the rally and/or go to the hearing, you may wish to prepare a short statement.

You will be asked to state your name, where you’re from, and which bus or train you use most often. Tell them whether or not you support the fare increase, and why or why not. Try to keep it concise and focused on the fare issue. You may wish to write a short statement and read it, so as not to get off-topic or forget anything you would like to mention. Use facts and numbers whenever you can.

I will mention that I feel the fare increase is excessive, that with the move to the OnePass the monthly cost to me will jump from $44 to $62. And while I understand the T would like to promote a view of the system as a whole, the buses do not run regularly or dependably enough along the routes I travel. It is very literally quicker for me to walk once I’ve gotten by train to Back Bay, where I work, than to take a bus. It is also much quicker for me, especially on weekends to ride my bike from Dorchester than to take the bus or the train.

But I also object to the surcharges or penalties that will come into play for those who use cash or the CharlieTicket instead of the CharlieCard, as outrageously excessive as well. Many cannot afford to pay for a monthly pass all at once. And I am concerned the T is not doing all it can to acclimate them to the new system. My concern is that the MBTA will not take adequate measures to provide information and education about the new fares and the new AFC system to people in more vulnerable populations, and that they will not provide adequate FVMs in the places where these people can use them easily and conveniently.

That’s really all I plan to say on the matter.

And this is about all I have to say before the rally, too. Hope to see you Tuesday, at 4PM in Copley Square (Dartmouth side–see MAP) and/or at 4:30PM in the Boston Public Library (700 Boylston St. entrance).

If you can’t make it Tuesday, check the MBTA website for other hearing dates, times and locations that might suit your schedule better. Some dates have been added.

I had a couple minutes to contemplate the new automated gates at JFK/UMass. Are they supposed to mitigate fare-evasion? No way. It’ll be easier than ever for those so inclined to get through without paying, or for two, or three to go through at once. Or is there some sort of function on these gates I don’t know about?

So the “Voices of Dissent” experience was interesting. I’ll try to get the audio posted somehow, for download.

I realized, in the course of preparing for the interview, that my views, as we approach the rally, the hearings, and the end of the comment period, are continuing to evolve, as I look at new information, and see what, for example, groups like The T Riders Union (TRU) have done on the issue in the past.

This morning, with John, I tried to focus more on the social justice aspect, but he was very much more interested in the privacy issue that I believe Senator Barrios is also focused on. Again, transparency is key here. There’s obvious potential for abuses in civil liberties with a “smart card” like the Charlie Card. If the information on it is compiled and catalogued–things like names, addresses, credit card numbers, dates and times of boardings, and so on. I imagine Senator Barrios will speak about it briefly on Tuesday, JUNE 4TH, at 4PM in Copley Square (see map HERE).

While the privacy issue is obviously an important one (and I am absolutely sure the issue will eventually wend its way to court, as the MBTA is being typically coy about its plan for data gathering with the Charlie Card), the more immediate issue with the Charlie Card is probably one of equity–although the surcharge for not using the card is a way of coercing acquiescence on the personal data issue.

The T admits that its penalties/surcharges for using cash or a disposable Charlie Ticket to board are means of forcing compliance with the new Charlie Card, but it says the reason is increased efficiency. And there is truth in this. The Charlie Card is a “contactless” card–it doesn’t have to be inserted into a farebox or gate–you should be able to tap it and go. We all know how using coins or cash–on the bus or the green line–can significantly slow down a stop.

But the penalties for using cash or a Charlie Ticket are excessive (click the link and scroll down to pp.12-13 of the .pdf document). For a bus trip, the proposed fare is $1.25, already a 35¢ increase. The penalty for not having a Charlie Card is an additional 40¢. For rapid transit, the proposed fare is a 45¢ increase, to $1.70, with a penalty for using cash or the Charlie Ticket instead of the Card of an additional 55¢. There will, of course, be no “step-up” or free transfers with cash or ticket, only with the card.

Most of us will not have any trouble with this. Most of my friends are on some sort of corporate program, where it’s pretty much taken care of for them. But there is an issue of educating that segment of the public usually left to its own devices, something the T is certainly not very good at. Nor have I yet seen machines to add value at bus stops, and just as there are plenty of people who use the subway and never take a bus, the opposite’s true as well. Many will not be able to afford the price of a monthly pass all at once, and if they are unable to add value easily and conveniently to cards that the T may or may not proactively distribute to these populations, they will experience a near doubling of their single-trip fares.

Intermodal transfers will not be processed the same as now, either. So many will actually end up paying for transfers they are not required to at present.

The T must show that they are making a real and concerted effort to reach the most vulnerable populations, educate them, and provide them with a ready onsite means to easily add value to their Charlie Cards. if this is not done, it’s hardly fair to penalize them for not using them.

I’ll be speaking with John Grebe, host of “Sounds of Dissent” on WZBC 90.3FM this morning from 11:10 to 11:35.

Wow, what a night! Here are some pics of what you missed if you were one of the few people who didn’t show up for our first annual T-Rage Beers-n-Tears Mixer:

It started out pretty tame, but once those Brazilian guys showed up in nothing but their tighty-whities things got pretty jiggy, as they say. There was something for everybody. Wasn’t that spontaneous breakdance contest fly? That and the hand-stand in your briefs competition and then the poll-dancing finals were my favorite events. And then, to cap it all off the Teletubbies showed up!

If last night was any indication of what Tuesday’s gonna be like, I’m telling you, it’s gonna be apocalyptic!